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Ampeg B2RE problems

B

bottomend74

Jun 26, 2011
4
0
#1
I have a B2RE that is acting up and wondering if anyone has any ideas as to what the problem is.
It powers up fine and works ok for a while then the limiter light starts flashing on and the amp cuts out. It remains powered-up but no sound. After a minute or so it comes back and works fine for a couple minutes then cuts-out again. The cycle continues. The same happens even at low volume/gain levels.
I am using a passive P-bass and a Fender 4X10 cab. I tried changing guitar cords, turning it off and back on, plugging it in to a different outlet.
And it doesn't always do this. 1st did it a month ago at practice. Brought it home, could not reproduce the problem. I cleaned the input jack, checked & cleaned the fan. Had another practice and a gig with no problems. Then last week did it again at a gig.
The amp is probably ten years old and not sure if it would be worth taking it in for repair or just find something else.
Thanks for any help
 
#4
Thanks for the ideas guys. Another thing I forgot to mention is that I recently got a rack mount case for the amp. So it is now partially enclosed- could be a cause of overheat I suppose. But the fan seems to working properly.

Also, just discovered that I have a bad guitar cord. I wonder if a short in the cord could cause the amp to go into protect mode??
 
#6
I had a similar issue with a carvin power amp once when it was mounted in a rack. The fan blows out the side of the unit which I think is a bad design since the side of the rack is an inch away. My fix was a two fan panel mounted to the rack behind the amp. It never overheated again.
 
#7
bottomend74 said:
Another thing I forgot to mention is that I recently got a rack mount case for the amp. So it is now partially enclosed- could be a cause of overheat I suppose. But the fan seems to working properly.
Click to expand...

Even though the fan is working, it sounds like you are impeding the air flow by not allowing the hot air to dissipate. It is important to leave space around the vents. This is sometime done with a vent in the rack case or a fan that circulates the air and drawing it out inside the rack case.

As was suggested, remove the B2RE from the rack and see if this resolves the issue. Also, if there is dust inside the amp, it can prevent it from cooling. Cleaning out any dust might make a difference. At the very least, inspect the inside of the amp to see how it looks. Manufacturers recommend that amps be cleaned by a tech as part of a regular maintenance program.
 

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